TiPb Answers: How iMessage works [FAQ]

We're getting tons and tons of questions about iOS 5's new iMessage, how it works, where it sends to, and how to avoid sending to the wrong person or device. Apple hasn't given out a lot of details about it yet, but based on what they showed on the keynote and how they've previously handled user and device ID, we can make some guesses. Now if it looks a little complex... wellafter the break!

So here's how iMessage works, as best as we can figure out at the moment.

How do you enable iMessage?

You can enable iMessage in Settings on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. It's similar to how FaceTime is setup.

Launch Settings

Tap on Messages

Tap on Use Your Apple ID for iMessage

Sign In with an Apple ID (MobileMe, iTunes, etc.) or Create New Account

Enter the email address you want to use for iMessage

Apple will verify the address, if it's not already registered, you'll get an email asking you to verify it.

You can Add Another Email address, or several, if you want.

If you're on an iPhone, once you're logged into iMessage your iPhone phone number will also be registered with iMessage and anything sent to it from another iOS 5 device will prioritize iMessage over SMS.

Does iMessage count as text or data?

Messages SMS still count against your total number of SMS/MMS in your package (if you have a limit)

iMessages are sent over data, not SMS/MMS so they count against your data cap (if you have one).

How does Message decide between sending SMS and iMessages?

When you enter a contact into Messages, you'll see all the available phone number and email accounts for that contact.

If they have an iMessage-registered email address, you'll see a little blue word bubble to the right of the address.

If they have an iMessage-registered iPhone phone number (their iPhone is logged into iMessage), you'll see a little blue word bubble to the right of the address.

If they have a non-iMessage phone number (for example, they're logged out or they're using a BlackBerry), you won't see any bubble.

When you pick a contact, it starts off gray and Messages will process it for a second.

If it determines it can send via iMessage, the contact turns blue and the text entry box says "iMessage".

If it determines it can send via SMS/MMS, the contact turns green and the text entry box says "Text Message".

If it determine it can't send via either iMessage or SMS/MMS, the contact turns red and shows an exclamation mark.

So which device sends what type of message then?

If you're on an iPhone and all you have is the other person's mobile number, Messages will send via SMS

If you're on an iPad or iPod touch and all you have is the other person's mobile number, Messages will not be able to send (you'll get a red exclamation mark in the contact name), because iPod touch and iPad can't do SMS.

If you're on an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and all you have the other person's iMessages ID, Messages will send via iMessage

What if I have an iPod touch or iPad, but my phone is non-Apple? (Feature, BlackBerry, Android, etc.) Will my iOS device intercept my SMS?

No. Remember, when you enter in a contact, you can see all their associated numbers and email addresses.

If the person sends to your iMessage email address, it will show up on your iPod touch or iPad.

If the person sends to your mobile phone number, it will show up on your mobile phone.

If we share the same iTunes account, how do I make sure my husband/wife/kids don't get my iMessages

Luckily, Apple's fragmented ID system works in your favor. Just like FaceTime, iMessage email addresses are separate and independent from iTunes logins.

Choose the same address for multiple devices if they're all yours and you want to get your iMessages on all of them.

Choose different addresses for multiple devices if they belong to different members of the family and you want them each to get their own iMessages.

You can use any email account you validate with Apple (we even know some people using @crackberry.com accounts. Shh. No names.)

How do I see/change the address associated with iMessage?

Launch Settings

Tap Messages

Scroll down and tap on Receive At

Tap Add Another Email to add an addition email account

Tap an existing email account, the tap Remove This Email to remove an account

Just go through each of your devices and assign them the same email, or different emails, as suits your individual or family needs.

Any other questions?

Again, we won't know for sure until iOS 5 ships this fall and Apple officially explains how iMessage works, but this is our best guesses based on available information. If you have any corrections, or other questions, let us know!

This doesn't make sense.
If they have an iMessage-registered iPhone phone number, you’ll see a little blue word bubble to the right of the address.
That means iMessage will work if neither party has their e-mail associated with the contact?
But then, you conflict yourself:
If you’re on an iPhone and all you have is the other person’s mobile number, Messages will send via SMS

You bring up an interesting point. If someone is close to going over their data limit but has unlimited texting on their plan, they might prefer to send texts rather than iMessages. Can you opt out of sending an iMessage and send a text instead even though you are sending the message to someone with an iPhone? Will they be upset with you if they don't have unlimited texts and they receive a text from you instead of an iMessage?
Hmmm...Thorny issues.

Thanks, Rene, I didn't know that. But I still wonder about the etiquette because some people will want to use texts because of unlimited texting on their plans and others will want to use iMessage because they have unlimited data.

It would just be the same as life before iMessages. The people with limited texts will spend texts messages and unlimited won't. same goes for data. as far as wanting one or the other because it benefits you, well that's life haha. Hope that helps. My guess is most people will use iMessage because it doesn't really use all that much data and being on WiFi to save data is an option while you have no alternative for sms conservation.

I agree, Rene, there are those who don't have texting plans who don't want any texts sent to them. And you're also right that iMessages won't use much data (unless you're attaching a document, photo or video to the message). It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

I'd rather give email address than pin. Way easier, and most of the time I already have someone's email address that is associated with their apple ID. I'm not going to give out my personal details to randoms I don't know.

My take is you want to talk with 50 million people. The whole point of iMessage is to have personal messages with your friends and family. Not strangers. Thats what myspace was for and thats why its dead.

Ah, OK. I have a question: Does my iPad have a separate ID from my iPhone, so I can send from (and receive on) each separately via iMessage -- or will an iMessage sent to me arrive on both devices simultaneously?

This is probably yet to be seen, but if I am logged into iMessages with the same address on both iPhone and iPad, when I read it on one, will it mark it as read on the other? Will the new notification system acknowledge it such?

Funny thing, I received a reply from someone I don't have their contact info from, he was replying to my ex. I replied right away asking who it was and what was going on ... my ex was able to reply as well as if he were me!!! This has happened twice, last Sunday and Tuesday, 2 different people.
I was hooked via his iTunes account, not sure if that has anything to do with it!!??
I have unabled the imessage option!!
Can anybody tell me why this happened?
Not impressed!!

What happens while you are roaming and you turned off data and someone sents you an imesssage? I guess the otherone will just see that you did not receive the message? What happens if you turned off imessage does the bubble disappear on the the senders iphone and therefore he knows that he has to send an sms?

dtuula on January 21, 2011 Omg r u guys seriously gonna get technical with the word HULA??? I'm Tongan and I know it's not HULA but for obvious MARKETING PURPOSES they used HOT HULA because it's catchy and non-polys would be able to recognize the kind of fitness program this is . geez!

the big problem of imessage:
If i have an iphone with an ended data plan (means i will have no data on iphone over 3g), but i have my ipad at home, this will happen:
when someone sends me a message on another iphone, they will see my blue bubble, so they will send an imessage... but i will never receive an imessage on my iphone because i don't have a data plan (or at least until i got an wifi hotspot).
So people will send me imessages, they will see i have received them, but i will have nothing on my iphone... i will only see them on my ipad when i get home!

what happens if i run out of data on my iphone (and not being able to receive imessages)?
Will the blue bubble disappear from my contact on my friends iphones? Or will it be there, because i have registered my iphone with imessage? If so, i won't be able to receive imessage, and my friends will not know that.. and so i won't receive the message at all (no imessage and no sms)

what happens if i run out of data on my iphone (and not being able to receive imessages)?
Will the blue bubble disappear from my contact on my friends iphones? Or will it be there, because i have registered my iphone with imessage? If so, i won't be able to receive imessage, and my friends will not know that.. and so i won't receive the message at all (no imessage and no sms)

Damn, so unless ppl have opted to put their e-mail in iMessages, we'll be stuck with SMS. Out of the box, this is only useful for the tech-minded. The rest don't know 50% of the iPhone's capability :/.

nice, but I wish Apple would allow users to pick a 'screen name' instead of having their e-mail address all out there...alot of people want to keep their e-mail address private. Thats still an advantage BBM has, a PIN is very private and somewhat obscure, you cant really identify somebody if the only thing you knew about them was their BBM pin, now if you knew somebody's e-mail address, thats a different story.

going through the comments, I see that iMessage is 'supposed' to be for chatting with only people you know, and that if need be you could create a separate e-mail for the purpose of iMessage, but still...

I'm using beta 7 now. It compresses a whole lot less. For the most part it looks great & I'm very impressed. It seems it's based in file size tho. For bids under 30 seconds they usually look perfect with no compression. For longer vids you get some compression like email. But either way it looks great and the vids are also full screen too. Way better than mms

imessage on my ipad2 is not working. when I try to send a message, i get "number is not activiated in imessage." I have turned off the ipad2, restarted, etc., to no avail. help!! this was the main reason i was up installing ios5 in the early am!

My son's ipad keeps sending imessages with my profile pic, even though he has his own apple id and a different pic in contacts with his email. My pic shows under my contact info, but with a different email address.
Question: anybody knows where the ipad imessage profile pic comes from and where the setting is to change that?

After upgrading my iPhone 4 to iOS 5, I activated iMessaging but cannot initiate iMessaging. However if another user sends me a message through iMessage the I can reply it alright.
Please suggest a solution..naghman@gmail.com

Unfortunately, even with SMS and MMS off, Verizon is still charging iMessages as texts, even between iOS5 iPhones. Called customer service, they said "a text is a text is a text, if it comes in on that phone number and it's not a voice call, it's put against your texting plan. Apple may say unlimited, but apple doesn't provide your plan, sorry!"

In SMS/iMessage, if I have contacted someone with iMessage they're name that is in their contact goes away and it leaves their number. this gets very confusing and i was wondering how i might fix this... if there is a fix for it. anyone else having this problem?

Since I downloaded the new update whenever I get a text message from another iphone user it shows their name before i open it. AFTER i open the message it changes the persons name to their phone number. This is really irritating because it only shows their name when I haven't opened the text.

My hubby sent me an iMessage from his iPad to my iPhone which I received, but my daughter had the message on her iPhone as sent from her?? When she replied it came through to my iPhone as from my husband. Any help appreciated

I'm using iphone 3gs jailbreak and unlock in ios 5.0. When i turn on the imessage something pop up "your carrier may charge for SMS messagea used to activate iMessage" option either Cancel or OK. I just click "OK". Then iMessage turn ON.
But when I sending using iMessage to other iphone which are using it the message cannot delivered? Any problem or do I missed something to turn on in the iMessage?